Preschool Students Learn From Nature

Published 4:00 am, Friday, September 15, 2000

A nonprofit preschool in Berkeley has won a federal grant to help build an outdoor, environmental classroom.

Step One School will use the $15,000 grant from the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation to build play and learning structures along nature trails on the half- acre hillside next to the school.

The space will have a trickling waterfall, an orchard of organically grown apple trees and wildflowers. Children ages 2 through 6 will learn to look for patterns in fallen leaves and measure plant growth after planting flowers in raised garden beds.

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They will be taught to estimate the number of flowers a plant will produce in a week and experiment with how shade will affect growth.

The garden will eventually cost $120,000 and is being supported by school families, including PowerBar founders Brian and Jennifer Maxwell. The Berkeley design firm Moore, Iacofano and Goltsman Inc., has donated many hours to map out the natural play space.

The counselors are enrolled in doctorate programs at local universities and want to help children succeed by helping them cope with emotional troubles.

Counselors will be able to consult with teachers, talk with students and make home visits with parents. They also will offer school-wide workshops on mental health issues.

"We'll be offering a level of service rarely seen in an elementary school," said Bart Rubin, director of the Family Institute of Pinole.

"We believe the social and emotional issues children and families struggle with impact a child's ability to learn in school. We often expect parents and teachers to deal with everything, but don't provide the skills or support."

The Family Institute will help parents manage childhood behavior and prepare their older children for middle school. There will be support groups for grandparents raising children and for recent immigrants.

CHARITY GIVEAWAY: Oakland brothers Antoine and
Shaun Henry
are a couple of very lucky boys.

The Brookfield Elementary students showed up Sept. 2 for a school supply giveaway sponsored by Volunteers of America and Youth ALIVE!, and walked away with the grand prize in a raffle: an Internet-ready Hewlett Packard computer.

"You should have seen their faces," said Darryl Ward, director of corporate giving for the Bay Area chapter of Volunteers for America.

The charity groups gave out 50 backpacks loaded with notebooks, pencils, crayons, rulers and glue. They also handed out 1,200 binders to children in need. They distributed the supplies in low-income neighborhoods in East Oakland.

And 50 children signed a pledge with Volunteers of America to maintain a high grade-point average. When report cards come out, Volunteers will choose the highest performing student in each grade and award that student with a gift certificate and a $25 U.S. savings bond.

The Back to School Giveaway is sponsored by Give Something Back Business Supplies, Clorox, Viking Office Supply, Madgave & Associates, Office Depot and Office Max.